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Maria Ackrén: The self-governance of Åland in global comparison, 2009
Maria Ackrén recently defended her doctoral thesis ”Conditions for Different Autonomy Regimes in the World - A Fuzzy-set Application” at Åbo Akademi in Turku. In her thesis she maps the territorial autonomies of the world and shows how the fuzzy-set method can be used in the field of comparative politics. On 1st of December 2009 at 2p.m. in the auditorium of the Åland Parliament, she gave a lecture in Swedish on her thesis, mainly focusing on findings interesting from an Ålandic perspective.
The event was arranged by the Åland Parliament and the Åland Islands Peace Institute jointly.
Aud-Lise Norheim: How can a small country make a difference for peace? 2009
The Norwegian ambassdor in Beirut, Lebanon, Aud Lise Norheim, will give a public speech at the City library in Mariehamn, Åland, on the 18th of August at 13.30-15.00. The ambassador will speak on the importance of continuous dialogue as a prerequisite for peace making and will share her experiences from a long career around the world, including work in the Middle East and South Africa. The name of the lecture is 'How can a small country make a difference for peace?'.
A summary of the lecture can be downloaded here.
Jan Eliasson: Reflections on mediation and conflict resolution, 2008
On the 8th of October 2008 Jan Eliason held a lecture in Mariehamn, Åland on "Reflections on mediation and conflict resolution, personal experiences from mediation in the conflicts Iran/Iraq, Nagorno-Karabach and Darfur".Until July 1, 2008 Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Darfur. Jan Eliasson has a distinguished career as Swedish diplomat and finishing as Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2006. Eliasson was the President of the UN General Assembly 2005-06. Eliasson was the Swedish Ambassador to Washington 2000-05, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs 1994-2000 and UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, 1992-94. Earlier, 1988-1992, he was Sweden's Ambassador to the United Nations in New York.
Jan Eliasson was invited by the Åland Island Peace Institute through Betil Jobéus, Consul general of Sweden on Åland and member of the Peace Institutes' board.
Kjell-Åke Nordquist: Reconciliation - a political reality? 2007
On 10 September 2007 at 18.30 Kjell-Åke Nordquist held a lecture in the town library of Mariehamn entitled ”Reconciliation – a political reality?”
The lecture dealt with reconciliation in both theory and practice. Nordquist unravels the concepts surrounding processes of reconciliation after war, and discusses what reconciliation could be and the ideas behind it. In recent years peace treaties have all the more often included elements of reconciliation, and the appointment of reconciliation commissions are often included in peace treaties. This is a relatively recent development in the history of peace processes. Twenty years ago reconciliation commissions barely existed. The process of reconciliation in South Africa, and its reconciliation commission, is perhaps one of the examples that have attracted the most attention.
Kjell-Åke Nordquist has himself worked with processes of reconciliation in, among others, East Timor and Colombia, from which he will also share his experiences. Kjell-Åke Nordquist is an associate professor in peace and conflict research at Uppsala University as well as a research developer at the Stockholm School of Theology.
Kjell-Åke Nordquist is a member of the board of directors of the Åland Islands Peace Institute as well as the chair of the institute’s research council.
Pär Stenbäck: International conflict management, 2007
The Åland Islands Peace Institute has invited Pär Stenbäck to hold a lecture entitled “International Conflict Management” in the town library of Mariehamn on 2 August at 18.30. Pär Stenbäck is a member of the board of directors of the Åland Islands Peace Institute. He has significant international experience from his time as the Foreign Minister of Finland and from innumerable international missions. He is, among other things, a board member of International Crisis Group.
International Crisis Group is an international non-state organisation with 130 employees on five continents. In addition to offices in Brussels, London, New York and Moscow there are twelve regional offices in conflict areas around the world. International Crisis Group analyses the situation on the ground, after which they compile reports and give concrete suggestions for measures that are required in order to solve or prevent conflict in the area at question.
Additionally the organisation publishes a monthly newsletter with updated information on international conflicts and risks of conflict. The organisation has recently published a peace plan for Sudan that attracted a lot of attention, as well as reports and commentaries on the situations in Papua, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Nepal, the Congo, Sri Lanka and East Timor.
Pär Stenbäck will discuss the work of the organisation in a range of current conflicts. In conjunction with the lecture there will also be an opportunity to discuss international conflict management.
Hans Blix: The cold peace - time for disarmament, 2007
On 14 – 15 May 2007 Hans Blix visited Åland on invitation of the Åland Islands Peace Institute. Together with his wife Eva Kettis Hans Blix visited the Åland Islands Peace Institute, the Åland parliament and the Åland government. A trip was also made to Bomarsund and Kastelholm. On 14 May Hans Blix held a lecture at the town library of Mariehamn entitled “The Cold Peace. Time for Disarmament”.
Hans Blix is the chair of the International Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, which initiated its work in 2004, and presented its report Weapons of Terror in May 2006. The report includes, among other things, sixty suggestions for nuclear disarmament. More information about the work of the commission can be found at www.wmdcommission.org.
Read a summary of the lecture, the reporting of Nya Åland on 15.5.2007, the interview and editorial of Nya Åland on 16.5.2007, as well as the column of consul general Bertil Jobeus in Västervikstidningen on 21.5.2007 (all in Swedish).